


Underneath it All

by Crazy4Orcas, kiss_me_cassie



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Clintasha Week, Colors, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Lingerie, No Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 20:16:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15444984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy4Orcas/pseuds/Crazy4Orcas, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiss_me_cassie/pseuds/kiss_me_cassie
Summary: Clint learns Natasha's moods through the colors that she wears.





	Underneath it All

**Author's Note:**

> For Clintasha Week  
> Day 4 - Colors
> 
> Crazy4Orcas is probably puzzling at the co-authoring here, but she came up with the concept, what the colors meant and some of the better parts of this as well. She went far beyond just beta, so... It's hers as much as it is mine. *g*

It didn't take long after they started sleeping together for him to put together the pattern. While Natasha's wardrobe rotated fairly consistently between silk blouses paired with smartly tailored skirts and stylish leather jackets paired with jeans, her lingerie was a lot more varied.

Most assumed she always wore black or red, the trappings of a femme fatale. But given their partnership and the close quarters they sometimes shared, he'd known for a while that she only wore black lingerie when she worked. It was her armor, giving the illusion of sexy and wanton without requiring any thought or effort on her part. 

But he was quick to discover she never wore black in her real life. For that, she had other colors. Whenever she was feeling particularly sexy, he noticed she'd wear a deep purple push-up bra with a matching thong or a barely-there, cobalt blue satin teddy. It would change to a demure pink lace set if she was feeling girlish and romantic. And sometimes she donned a floral green bra with soft yellow panties, especially if she was having a particularly trying day. On those days, he knew that a special treat like a cup of her favorite gelato or a surprise mug of oolong tea would be appreciated. Occasionally, she wore red or silver or some other shade that others might have considered provocative, but he soon discovered they were almost thoughtless defaults rather than an indicator of mood. She certainly never wore them for seduction.

He noticed she never wore white, though. At first, he thought it was because she found it too virginal or childish. But then he caught her unawares at her apartment one night after a mission gone sideways and learned the truth.

The mission had been a clusterfuck from beginning to end. Their intel had been shoddy, the number of mercenaries had been grossly underestimated, and so had the number of nearby civilians. In the end, they'd gotten what they'd come for, but only after several civilians had been badly injured and one person had been killed.

Afterwards, he'd tried to coax her into going back to his place. Not for sex but for a few stiff drinks and so they wouldn't have to be alone. Instead, she begged off and they'd gone their separate ways.

But he'd only made it halfway to his own apartment when he'd whirled around and headed to hers instead. Separate ways, be damned. After a mission like that, he couldn't bear to be alone, and the only person he wanted to be with was her.

When he let himself into her apartment ten minutes later, he found her curled into herself on the window seat, wearing one of his old plaid flannel shirts over a plain white tank top and a pair of white cotton briefs. 

That's when it it him. It wasn't that she never wore white; it was that she'd never let him see the times when she had. Because those were the times when she felt the weight of the red in her ledger too much. When she needed to be washed clean of all her past and present sins.

His heart ached for her.

She didn't say a thing when he gathered her up in his arms and carried her over to the sofa, just nestled against his chest. It wasn't until he felt her body shudder against his that he realized she was sobbing. His arms tightened around her and he kissed the top of her head, giving her silent comfort.

For a while, they simply sat like that, him rubbing gentle circles against her back while she regained her composure. After some time, she took one last deep breath and drew back slightly to look at this face.

"How did you --" 

He cut her off with a tender kiss. "Didn't. Just needed some comfort of my own."

She didn't answer in words, but silently leaned into him again, and they spent the next hour cuddled together on her sofa, simply breathing together, until they both fell asleep.


End file.
